Sanjay Patel grew up in Croydon in Surrey, attending public schools in the area before going to Kingston University to study for a computer science degree.

After graduating he went into the telecommunications sector, first working for Mercury Communications, then BT before joining Satellite Media Services which was involved in programme broadcasting for radio stations.

It was during his time at SMS that Patel developed an interest in emerging telecoms technology, particularly satellite broadcasting and mobile technology.

However, after a few years he decided to look for a new intellectual challenge, and moved away from telecoms to the banking sector, developing software.

By his own admission he has always been a hobby inventor, and when his brother lost his arm in a motorcycle accident, Patel set about developing a computer keyboard he could use with just one hand.

After a lengthy period of research, Patel developed the principles of what he calls 'Language Intelligence' which was to form the basis of the Adaptxt technology.

Patel then left the banking sector to set up KeyPoint Technologies in 1997 with £5million of initial funding coming from family and friends to develop the software and bring the first keyboards to market.

As the software developed, the focus of the business moved away from keyboards towards mobile phone technology, and the company moved to Scotland from Surrey four years ago to set about developing language technology for the mobile phone industry.

Earlier this year, KPT secured another £4million in funding from private investors, which will support setting up sales and marketing teams in the United States and Europe.

With little in the way of spare time on his hands, Patel is happiest when tinkering with software and indulging his passion for new challenges.